


Lunatical's WinterironWeek Fics

by Lunatical



Category: The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Arguing, Bakery, Body Worship, Bucky Barnes & Sam Wilson Friendship, Bucky Barnes Has Nightmares, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Celebrations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, Flashbacks, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Humor, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Bucky Barnes, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mild Smut, Misunderstandings, Moving In Together, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Scars, Science Nerd Bucky Barnes, Sharing a Bed, Tony Stark Has A Heart, day 1:, day 2:, day 3:, day 4:, day 5:, day 6:, day 7:, not really smut but kinda, this one's kind of ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-08 13:41:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19870567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunatical/pseuds/Lunatical
Summary: This is a collection of all the fics I've written for Winteriron Week 2019. Just for fun, I tried to make it more of a challenge for myself and decided to writeexactlya thousand words for each day!Each chapter is a separate fic. You'll find a summary and eventual warnings in the beginning notes of the chapter.PROMPTS:DAY ONE: First Meetings + “Are we really gonna do this here?”DAY TWO: “You done yet?” + High School/College AUDAY THREE: Bed Sharing + “I’m not drunk enough for this.” + SoulmatesDAY FOUR: Panic Attack/PTSDDAY FIVE: Celebration + Prosthetic ArmsDAY SIX: “You should shut up now.”DAY SEVEN: New Beginnings + “Move in with me.”





	1. Sweeten the Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 1, prompts:**  
>  First Meeting / “Are we really gonna do this here?” / ~~Secret Caretaking~~
> 
>  **SUMMARY:** Bucky, who is still on the run after the events of CA:TWS, decides to visit his favorite bakery to sweeten his day. ~~Un~~ fortunately for him, things don't go as planned.  
>  **RATING:** G  
>  **WARNINGS:** none.

Bucky Barnes was a fugitive. He lived in the shadows, he was a ghost story, a legend, he–

“Hello, and welcome to Stacy’s Bakery! What can I get for you today?”

Bucky smiled at the girl behind the counter, lifting his baseball cap just enough to show his face. He knew there were no cameras in the shop, and the only two customers were sitting close to the door and facing the windows.

“Hey, Katie,” he greeted. He’d missed this bakery fiercely while he was away from New York, and it showed in the warmth of his voice. “You got a good special for me today, or should I just go for the usual?”

Katie’s smile grew when she recognized him, and Bucky felt unreasonably touched by that. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite customer! Haven’t seen you in a while, Jim.”

Bucky shrugged. “I’ve been out of the city. Just got back today, thought I’d pass by my favorite shop before heading home.”

That was a lie. Bucky’d been back in New York for three days now, after Steve had caught his movements and almost cornered him in Berlin. At the moment, Cap was chasing a false lead to Albania while Bucky had flown back to the States; he’d have to leave again soon, towards Mexico, maybe, or Canada.

Katie laughed, unaware of where his train of thought had gone. “Smooth talker,” she teased. Then, pointing to the menu on the wall, she added, “Today’s special is blueberry cheesecake, but I remember how much you hate those.”

Bucky nodded. He was about to order the usual – a salted caramel muffin that made his mouth water just by thinking about it and some hot cocoa – when a third voice chimed in from behind him.

“Really? You don’t like blueberries? That’s probably a crime in all 50 states.”

Bucky froze, caught off guard.

First of all, he had no idea how someone had managed to walk inside the shop and then get close enough to potentially attack him without him noticing. And secondly…

He knew that voice.

Calmly, he reached inside his hoodie and grabbed the knife strapped there. He didn’t turn around to look at the man behind him.

“Are we really gonna do this here?” Bucky asked, deceptively mild.

He was already shifting into mission mode, his brain automatically looking for ways to escape now that he was aware of the danger. _And avoid collateral damage_ , he mentally added when Katie frowned at him.

The man behind him snorted. “I mean, I was hoping we’d be able to talk this through. Avoid structural damage and all that. Not that I knew this place existed before today, but I _do_ really enjoy blueberry cheesecake.”

“I’m sorry,” Bucky mouthed. He turned around, looking away from a confused Katie. His eyes immediately jumped towards the other customers, only to find that their seats were now empty. How he hadn’t noticed them leaving was beyond him.

“What do you want, Stark?”

Tony raised an eyebrow at him, somehow managing to look both sarcastic and unimpressed. “You’re a fugitive, Sergeant Barnes. Half the world wants _something_ from you.”

Then, with a tired sigh, he continued, “FRIDAY’s facial recognition program got a match on your ID this morning, and since the good ol’ Captain is halfway around the world on what I’m guessing is a wild-goose chase… Well, I was the only Avenger around, so here we are. And please, don’t pull that knife out of your hoodie. I like to wait after breakfast before starting to throw punches.”

Reluctantly, Bucky took his hands out of his hoodie, keeping them raised to show he was unarmed. He’d spotted Stark’s gauntlet-watch before the man had slipped his hands in his pants pockets, and Bucky had no desire of getting a repulsor blast to the face.

“So, what now?” he asked.

Stark hummed. “Now you get to decide. Either you come back with me to the Tower and get reunited with your old buddy, or you keep running until either SHIELD or Hydra find you. Pick the first option, and you’ll get the best team of lawyers my money can buy, and the guarantee you’ll get a fair, public trial to clear your name and put an end to your days as a fugitive. Pick the second…” he shrugged. “I don’t get a say in what happens then, but I’m assuming it won’t be pretty for you.”

“Wait,” Bucky interjected, bewildered. “What do you mean lawyers? A trial? I thought I’d be thrown in jail as soon as I showed my face.”

“America sees you as a traitor, Barnes, but you and I both know you weren’t responsible for those crimes. If you go through a public trial, with evidence of being a POW who was brainwashed for decades… they’d be crazy to condemn you.”

“And if I refuse?”

“You pick the second option.” Stark’s tone was flippant, but Bucky could read the tension building in him.

Bucky hesitated, considering his next few words carefully. “I appreciate the offer, Stark, but you don’t have the full picture here. If you knew what I’ve done, you-”

Stark cut him off, suddenly much colder than he’d been before. “December 16th, 1991.” At Bucky’s shocked silence, his mouth curved in a bitter smile. “I’ve read your files, Barnes. The offer still stands.”

Bucky mulled it over for a second before gingerly lowering his hands. He pointed at Katie, who was still staring wordlessly at them.

“You mind if I still get breakfast before jumping into this mess?”

That made Tony’s grin widen, going from grim and strained to full-on teasing, and Bucky’s stomach flipped at the sight. Damn, that smile was _dangerous_.

Tony passed him two fifties with a flourish. “A blueberry cheesecake for me, plus whatever you want. And let Katie keep the change.”

Katie spluttered, hurrying off to get their food, and Bucky couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. God, his life truly was a wild ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this ficlet :)
> 
> Thank you [@QueenMaeve](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenMaeve) and @Dongjunma for double-checking my grammar!


	2. Boys and Bots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 2, prompts:**  
>  ~~Weddings~~ / “You done yet?” / High School/College AU
> 
>  **SUMMARY:** Bucky Barnes is a 19-year-old nerd with a passion for engineering and a dream of getting into MIT's robotics program. Well, he doesn't actually think he's smart enough to be admitted, but that's ok. He lives the dream vicariously through his fellow students... and when a special project is finally announced -- a self-learning bot called DUM-E -- he's the first one in line to see it. He really didn't expect to become friends with a bot and its creator all at once, though.  
>  **RATING:** G  
>  **WARNINGS:** none.

Bucky watched in wonder as the robot completed a full lap of the MIT robotics lab, avoiding the various obstacles set in its path.

The bot was a bit clumsy, hitting a few things along the way, but Bucky knew that its mistakes were far from an unfixable flaw. The bot’s programming hadn’t been built for fine manual control, after all.

As if to prove his point, the bot proceeded to crash into the finish line, sending a few tables sliding across the floor before righting himself and running towards the engineers monitoring him. He spun around happily, in a weirdly endearing resemblance of a dog chasing its own tail, all while beeping loudly enough to be heard all the way across the lab in the corner where Bucky often sat to watch the experiments of MIT’s aspiring engineers.

He liked the way that sounded: aspiring engineer. It would be a fitting title for Bucky as well, really, but he knew better than to dream of getting into the robotics program. The number of students admitted each year was ridiculously small compared to the number of applicants, and Bucky knew he wasn’t smart enough to get in, not when competing with some of the biggest names in STEM: Pym, Cho, Lang, Banner, van Dyne, _Stark_. It seemed like the kids of every well-known scientist were part of the program.

Right now, none other than Tony Stark – child genius and heir to Stark Industries – was finally showing off his big project: a self-learning helper bot outfitted with a groundbreaking, even if still rudimentary, artificial intelligence. Stark had named his project DUM-E, an ironically fitting name for a bot that was designed to learn from its own mistakes.

Everyone had been blown away by the project, from Tony’s professors to his fellow students, including Bucky himself. It felt like every tech publication in America had sent someone to MIT for an “exclusive interview” with the teen who’d created DUM-E.

A teen, because Tony Stark had created his own artificial intelligence at the age of _seventeen_.

The thought solidified Bucky’s certainty that he’d never get into the program: 19-year-old Bucky Barnes couldn’t even compare to 17-year-old Tony Stark; he was no genius.

Bucky was suddenly shaken from his thoughts when someone waved a hand in front of his face, followed by a teasing voice asking, “You done yet?”

Bucky startled and glared up at the stranger, only for his words to die in his throat as soon as he did. Because right there, in front of him, stood Tony Stark in the flesh.

“I… what?” he asked, dumbly, and then flushed bright red when he realized how stupid that sounded.

Tony didn’t seem to notice, grinning playfully at him. “I asked you if you were done yet, since you’ve been staring at DUM-E for about an hour now. Even my professors weren’t that interested in him, man.”

“Well, they were wrong,” Bucky blurted out, and then blushed again when Tony raised an eyebrow at him. Fuck, he was making a fool of himself. “I mean, he’s amazing. You’re amazing.”

Tony’s cheeks flushed at that. “Thanks,” he said, somewhat bashfully. “You wanna meet him?”

“… for real?”

“Yeah! I mean…” Tony shrugged. “Everyone else already left.”

That was true, Bucky realized. No one had stuck around once the demonstration was over, leaving Bucky and Tony alone in this part of the lab.

“Ok, sure,” Bucky finally replied, not even entertaining the idea of refusing to meet DUM-E. He quickly stood up, following Tony as he moved towards the bot.

“Hey, DUM-E! Over here, boy.”

DUM-E rolled towards them, beeping inquisitively and tilting his camera slightly to the side. Tony had managed to give his bot human expressions, and Bucky couldn’t help but grin at the sight.

“DUM-E, this is Bucky. Bucky, DUM-E.”

DUM-E beeped again before taking Bucky’s hand in its claw and shaking it a bit too enthusiastically. Bucky laughed in delight when the handshake didn’t stop for a good ten seconds.

Tony seemed embarrassed by DUM-E’s quirkiness, but Bucky smiled at him reassuringly. 

He was about to say something else when a thought crossed his mind.

“Wait, how do you know my name?”

Tony flushed. “I… I noticed you hanging around the labs a while ago, and I mean, I just got curious, is all.”

“Yeah?” Bucky teased, smirking. “Did I catch your eye, doll?”

He caught Tony whispering an embarrassed “oh my god” as someone gasped in faux shock behind them.

“I heard that, Barnes!”

Bucky turned to grin at Rhodes, who was glaring at him from across the lab. They’d met a couple times, mostly from hanging around Steve and his ROTC buddies, so Bucky knew him well enough to catch the slight twitch of Rhodes’ lips that betrayed his glare.

Tony groaned. “Honeybear, please shut the fuck up.”

Bucky couldn’t help but laugh at that, shaking his head. “Damn, if everyone in the program is like you two, I might have a chance to get in.”

“Wait. You’re applying next year?”

Bucky hesitated in the face of the poorly concealed hope in Tony’s eyes. “I mean, I’d like to, but I’m not- I’m not smart enough, honestly.”

“Bullshit," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "Justin Hammer managed to get in, and he can’t even assemble a motherboard without someone holding his hand through it.”

Bucky huffed. “I’m sure that’s an exaggeration, doll.”

“It really isn’t,” Rhodes sighed, making his way towards them. “Now, quit your flirting and get a move on, Tones. We’ve got class in ten minutes.”

“But Rhodey,” Tony whined, “I just started talking to him.”

“Sucks to be you,” Rhodes deadpanned.

Tony pouted before turning back to Bucky. “If you give me your number, I could... tutor you. You know, to help you get into the program.”

“Yeah?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah,” Tony replied, handing Bucky his phone.

Rhodes sighed. “I’m going to regret letting them meet, aren’t I?” he asked DUM-E.

DUM-E beeped sadly, patting Rhodes’ head in comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I know this is probably OOC, but I really just wanted to write our boys being cute and silly and soft :p I hope you liked this!
> 
> Thank you [@QueenMaeve](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenMaeve) for the beta <3


	3. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 3, prompts:**  
>  Bed Sharing / “I’m not drunk enough for this.” / Soulmates
> 
>  **SUMMARY:** Bucky and Tony find out they're soulmates. Tony immediately freaks out, and does the best thing he can think of: he gets absolutely shitfaced and somehow ends up sleeping with Barnes.  
>  **RATING:** T  
>  **WARNINGS:** none.

Tony’s return to awareness was horribly, _horribly_ tainted by a sadly familiar and hangover-induced headache. He groaned weakly, opening his eyes blearily and trying to convince his muscles to move. He hoped to reach the bathroom before puking all over himself, but judging by how nauseous he felt, trying to move was a bit of a gamble.

Unfortunately, his plans to leave the bed were foiled before they even started -- mostly because the person in bed with him seemed to have no intention of loosening their hold on Tony’s midsection.

Said person huffed and buried their nose in Tony’s hair.

“Go back t’sleep,” they muttered, which… Well, shit. That was definitely Barnes’ voice. The reason for his hangover came back to Tony in a rush, and he somehow felt worse because of it.

Squinting against the darkness, Tony tried to turn around to look at Bucky’s face, but all he managed to do was make his nausea flare up. A bit more frantic, he tried to free himself from Bucky’s arms, not trusting himself to speak without throwing up. Thankfully, Barnes seemed to catch on, and his arms quickly left Tony’s middle.

Tony just barely made it to the toilet in time. Once his stomach calmed down, Tony was left gasping as he leaned against the cool wall. He didn’t move when the door opened and Barnes walked in, but he did hiss at him when he tried to turn on the lights.

“Headache,” he grunted, and Bucky quickly turned them back off.

Cracking one eye open, Tony glanced at the barely visible silhouette of his soulmate. He sighed, “C’mere.”

The speed at which Bucky crossed the room would have been hilarious in any other situation, but Tony was too wrung out to laugh. When Bucky sat down next to him, he moved just enough to let their legs touch, sighing in pleasure when that immediately dulled the pain in his head.

“Sorry about that,” he said, after a few seconds of comfortable silence. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“You drank your weight in alcohol yesterday. Throwing up was probably good for ya.”

“Not what I meant,” Tony started, but he fell silent when Bucky shrugged.

“Ain’t nothing we can do about it now, Stark.”

Tony hummed, letting his eyes fall shut as he tried not to think about the events of the previous day.

***

_Rogers and Barnes walked into the common room, and Barnes was visibly uncomfortable when the Avengers turned to stare at them. Bucky’d been living in the tower for a few weeks now, but in that time, he’d never left Steve’s floor._

_Clearly, him showing up for movie night was a big step._

_Everyone greeted them before purposefully turning back to what they were doing, trying not to make Bucky uncomfortable._

_Tony grabbed three beers from the fridge and made his way towards the duo._

_“Captain. Barnes,” he greeted. Handing them their beers, he asked, “Here to join us for movie night?”_

_Steve accepted his drink with a smile. “I am. How ‘bout you, Buck?”_

_Barnes glanced at Steve before looking down at the beer Tony was offering him. “Sure,” he finally said._

_He grabbed the bottle and opened it with his metal thumb, sending the cap flying in the air._

_It all happened so quickly._

_Tony instinctively moved to snatch the cap mid-air before it fell to the floor, but Barnes had the same idea. Their hands brushed against each other as they reached for the cap._

_Immediately, Tony’s entire body seized up in pain and he fell to his knees with a shout, clutching at his left hand when it began to throb._

_Bewildered, he looked towards Barnes, who had also fallen to the floor while clutching at his hand. As soon as their gaze met, Tony realized what had happened._

_Bucky’s eyes were ringed with gold. Soulmate gold._

_Scrambling to his feet, Tony all but fled the room, running down to his workshop and digging into the stack of whiskey he kept there for emergencies such as this one._

_“Boss, Sgt. Barnes is asking to be allowed in the ‘shop.”_

_Tony swore. “Fuck no. I’m not drunk enough to deal with this.” Then, after taking a healthy swig of whiskey, he added, “Activate full blackout, Fri. No one gets in other than Pep and Rhodey.”_

_Friday didn’t reply, but Tony didn’t mind too much. Slumping into the couch, he tried his hardest to drown his panic with the booze._

***

“So, Barnes, I’m guessing you’re the one who got me into bed last night?”

Bucky snorted. “You left the workshop on your own, drunk out of your mind, and shouted at me that you were going to bed and I was coming with you. I didn’t feel like arguing.”

Tony sighed. “Great, that’s not awkward at all.”

They were silent for a while. Tony turned his head towards Bucky, ignoring the fact he couldn’t really see him in the dark. “So… soulmates, huh?”

“Apparently. I’d say something cheesy about how I’ve waited all my life to meet you, but I’m pretty sure you’d deck me for it.”

Tony snorted. “Good call. Fate’s a bit of an asshole, as far as I’m concerned, but I’m…” he trailed off, not knowing how to explain, but Bucky seemed to understand anyways.

“Fate’s a dick, but this thing-- between _us_. It feels… good. Right?”

Tony hesitated, but he couldn’t lie. “Yeah, I feel that too. Hence the, you know… freak-out, yesterday.”

Bucky was silent for a while, mulling it over. Finally, he cleared his throat and asked, “We’re gonna be ok, me ‘n you?”

Tony blindly reached for Bucky’s hand, trying to convey through touch what he couldn’t put into words. The pull he’d felt yesterday, drawing him in, the yearning desire to be close to Bucky... it was still burning under his skin, a simmering fire waiting to be released.

“Yeah,” he hoarsely replied, trying to swallow the knot in his throat. “We’ll be ok.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, trying to fit an entire soulmates AU into 1k was impossible, so this is more of a concept rather than a full fic. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!
> 
> Thank you [@scarynoodles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarynoodles) for helping me out with this one <3


	4. Broken Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 4, prompts:**  
>  ~~Surprise Hugs / “I want a baby.”~~ / Panic Attack/PTSD
> 
> **SUMMARY:** Bucky has a nightmare. Tony tries to help.  
>  **RATING:** T  
>  **WARNINGS:** Non-Graphic descriptions of violence, torture and death.

“Soldat, here are your mission parameters.”

The Asset tried to pay attention, but the words all seemed to jumble together inside the handler’s mouth. No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand what was being said. The Asset’s heart began to race, a seemingly unneeded reaction that he could not explain. He knew that not listening to his handler’s words was a grave mistake, to be punished and corrected to ensure that the Asset’s flawed programming would learn from his mistakes.

Something inside the Asset was scared by the thought of punishment, but that made no sense. The Asset did not feel fear. Fear was a human emotion, and the Asset was only a weapon.

The handler finished reciting the mission parameters, but the Asset hadn’t been able to listen. The straps of the chair tightened around him, looping around his legs, arms, and head.

_ Wipe him. _

The Asset knew that struggling was futile, but his body seemed to react on instinct, straining against the bindings holding him down as electricity began to course through his body. The pain was always too much; a visceral, overpowering agony that he could not bear in silence. The Asset felt a scream tear its way out of his throat, but he could not hear it over the blood rushing in his ears.

The restraints suddenly gave out, and he fell on the floor.

There was snow under his hands, cold and painful. The Soldier’s fingers seemed to disappear in the white. There was snow everywhere, turning everything white. The Soldier’s finger hovered over the trigger. The man was begging, on his knees, with tears streaming down his face. His cheeks were red from the cold.

Red was everywhere. The snow was stained with blood. It kept spreading, turning everything into the most haunting shade of crimson as the man bled out in the snow. All the Soldier could see was red.

Natasha ducked under his punch, her red hair dancing before his eyes. He threw another jab with his right arm, then feigned with the left before swiping her legs out from under her. She hit the floor with a grunt, and he stared down at her in disappointment. She looked at him with pleading eyes.

_ Get up. _

She tried to stand, but her arms were shaking too badly to hold her weight.

_ Bucky, please. _

He did not know who Bucky was. The Soldier glanced at their handlers, staring at them with suspicion, before repeating,  _ Get up. _

Natasha looked up at him, and suddenly her face became distorted.

_ Please, Bucky! _

Her voice morphed and twisted, turning deeper and more desperate.

_ Bucky! Grab my hand! _

Bucky stared up at Steve, meeting his terrified gaze as Steve’s hand tried to reach for him. He knew he was going to fall. He could sense it, deep inside of him, sense the freezing air rushing past him as he fell.

Steve was still reaching for him, and Bucky tried to grab his hand, he really did, but his arm was hurting, and everything began to slip away. The sky, then the mountains, then the train, until all that was left was Steve’s stricken face and his outstretched hand. Bucky tried again, but he could feel his fingers slipping away too, and then he was falling, with Steve’s scream echoing in his head.

_ Bucky! Bucky! B- _

“Bucky! Baby, wake up!”

Bucky’s eyes flew open as he choked on a scream. Instinctively, he tried to roll off the bed into a crouch, but as soon as he moved pain sliced through his arm. He gasped, cradling it close to his chest before struggling to get to his feet.

He realized he was on the floor, not on the bed, and the covers were half-pulled off. His panicked brain kept stuttering all over the place until a thought crossed his mind, and–

“Tony?” he asked breathlessly, caught somewhere between lost and desperate.

“I’m here, baby.”

Bucky turned to his left, where Tony was reaching for him, crouched low on the ground and looking shaken himself. When he saw Bucky looking at him, his mouth curved in a watery smile.

“There you are, love. You just had a nightmare, and I think your arm is broken. Can I touch you?”

Bucky’s head still felt fragmented, like rational thought was something out of its grasp, but he nodded nonetheless. Even without being able to understand or explain why, having Tony close to him felt more important than anything in the world.

“Good, good, that’s good.” Tony’s voice was a soft murmur, and a soothing balm for Bucky’s panicked mind.

As soon as he was close enough to touch, Tony did so, sliding one hand into Bucky’s hair while the other came to rest on his cheek. “You back with me yet?” he asked gently as his thumb began rubbing slow circles on Bucky’s cheekbone.

Bucky shook his head, because the echo of Steve’s voice was still ringing through his head, and Tony made a wounded noise in the back of his throat.

“That was a bad one, wasn’t it?” Bucky knew the question was rhetorical, so he didn’t answer. “That’s ok, honey, just follow my lead and breathe with me. In, and out. Just like that.”

Tony guided him through a few minutes of controlled breathing, only stopping when Bucky asked in a raspy voice to be brought some water. The trip to the bathroom and back took less than thirty seconds, and then Tony was slowly tipping a glass of water in Bucky’s mouth.

Bucky had tried to grab it himself, but his arm had seized so badly he’d almost blacked out.

“Yup, that’s definitely fractured,” Tony sighed.

Bucky swallowed hard, blinking back the tears that for some reason sprung up at that. “I’m… I’m really broken, aren’t I?” he asked, and Tony immediately knew he wasn’t referring to the arm.

Tony smiled sadly before tenderly kissing Bucky’s forehead.

“I’m a mechanic, baby. Fixing things is what I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really pleased with this one, so let me know what you think! Kudos and comments always make me happy :)
> 
> Thank you [@QueenMaeve](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenMaeve) for the beta <3


	5. Armed and Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 5, prompts:**  
>  Celebration / ~~“Bad timing?”~~ / Prosthetic Arms
> 
> **SUMMARY:** Bucky becomes an official Avenger, and Tony builds something special to celebrate.  
>  **RATING:** M (some smut at the end.)  
>  **WARNINGS:** none.

“Fri, run a full scan one more time. I need to be sure this is going to work.”

“Sure thing, Boss.”

Tony watched the data on the screens as FRIDAY ran all their diagnostics again, making sure that everything was running as smoothly as it possibly could. They had tested the new design extensively during all stages of production, but this was possibly one of the most important creations of Tony’s life.

Well, right after the Iron Man suit. And the arc reactor. And JARVIS, and FRIDAY, and all his bots. But this one totally ranked fourth on the imaginary List of Important Stuff that Tony had just made up in his head.

The screens flashed green right as FRIDAY’s voice chimed in through the speakers. “Scans are complete, Boss. The product is working perfectly and the installation has an estimated 99.999% success rate.”

Tony sighed in relief, finally happy with the results. He trusted his machines more than anything in the world, but there was a comfort in numbers that he’d never found anywhere else in his life.

He walked toward his workbench, where Bucky’s new arm was propped up on a personalized stand, and carefully ran his hand across the gleaming metal. He smiled.

Bucky was going to lose his mind.

***

“Sergeant? Your presence has been requested in the workshop.”

Bucky paused, halfway through his pull-up. “Is this an emergency?”

“No, but Boss has requested you join him as soon as you’re not otherwise occupied.”

Sam huffed, letting go of his own pull-up bar and jumping to the ground. He directed a shit-eating grin at Bucky. “That a booty-call, man?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow at him and completed his set before dropping down as well, saying, “No need to be jealous, Birdboy. I’m sure  _ Steve  _ would be happy to lend you a hand if you need to get laid.”

Sam snorted. “You don’t know shit about my love life, Barnacle.”

Bucky laughed. Sam threw a water bottle at his head. 

“Whatever, man. Go see what’s gotten your boyfriend’s panties in a twist.”

Bucky opened his mouth to make a snide remark about Tony and panties, but Sam glared and pointed threateningly at him. Bucky simply grinned and walked away, flipping him off as he went.

As Bucky made his way to the lab, he found himself whistling a random upbeat tune. His day had been great: for starters, he’d woken up to the wonderful sight of Tony’s head disappearing under the covers – which was, admittedly, the best way to start his day; then, after a lazy morning, Bucky’d gone to lunch with Steve and Natasha, spending some quality time with his two best friends.

After lunch, Bucky was scheduled to attend his last mandatory therapy session, the final step required before SHIELD and the UN agreed on letting him join the Avengers… and Bucky had done it. His therapist had deemed him stable enough to become a full-time superhero.

The team was ecstatic, of course. The only person who had yet to congratulate him was Tony, which was probably why he called Bucky down to his lab.

Maybe Sam was right, Bucky thought with a grin. A booty call would be an  _ amazing _ way to celebrate.

Once he reached the workshop, though, there was no scantily dressed Tony waiting for him. Instead, his boyfriend was hovering nervously next to the door, with the kind of manic look in his eyes that never bode well for the structural integrity of the Tower.

As soon as the doors opened, Tony threw his arms around Bucky’s neck, and Bucky returned the embrace, already feeling more excited just by proximity. Tony was practically  _ vibrating _ in his arms, and when they moved apart, Tony immediately grabbed his face and planted a loud kiss on his lips.

“You’re finally an Avenger, then?” Tony teased, but the effect was ruined by the pride shining in his eyes. “Guess you’re not my kept boy anymore.”

“Hey now,” Bucky replied, in mock horror, “are you taking back my ‘sugar baby’ title?”

Tony laughed, smacking him on the chest. He grabbed Bucky’s hand and led him to the workbench.

“Speaking of me spoiling you, I thought we should celebrate you finally becoming an Avenger, right?” he asked. “Remember the project I had with the Wakandan lab a while back? Well, I asked Princess Shuri for a favor. A sort of… mutual collaboration, if you could call it that. She wanted to study my ARC technology, and I was interested in her general ‘more advanced technical knowledge’ thing, so we came to an agreement pretty quickly.”

Bucky nodded, trying not to laugh as Tony visibly tried to rein in his rambling thoughts.

“So. The thing we worked on, it’s… well, a welcome gift. From me to you, as an official Avenger.”

Tony hesitated for a split second before pointing to the table, where something was hidden under a cloth. He looked at Bucky with a weird mix of excitement and nervousness on his face.

Bucky was just… happy. He loved Tony’s work, and knowing that one of Tony’s creations had been made specifically for  _ him _ was a heady feeling.

Plus, he was curious. Really, really curious.

With a grin, he grabbed the cloth and yanked it away, revealing what was underneath. And then he felt his mouth drop.

The mystery gift was a metal arm, black and golden and gleaming in the light. It was  _ gorgeous _ .

“Tony, I...” Bucky trailed off, unable to talk through the emotion brimming in his chest.

Tony smiled, pleased. “Wanna try it on?”

“ _ Yes _ ,” Bucky replied instantly, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

“Well, sit down then, Soldier.”

***

_ LATER THAT EVENING _

***

Tony moaned as Bucky added another finger inside him, scissoring them open and watching the metal as it disappeared inside Tony.

“ _ Fuck _ , that feels so good, baby.”

Bucky hummed, leaning down to kiss Tony deeply, his fingers never stopping in their movements.

“Best gift ever,” Bucky whispered. And really, Tony had to agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell yeah this was an excuse to indulge in my metal arm kink! Honestly, that thing is a work of art.  
> I hope you liked this, let me know what you think!
> 
> Many thanks to [@Shi_Toyu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu) for the beta <3


	6. Beautifully Imperfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 6, prompts:**  
>  ~~Identity Porn~~ / “You should shut up now.” / ~~Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart~~
> 
>  **SUMMARY:** Bucky hates the scars around his arm, and Tony shows him why he's wrong.  
>  **RATING:** M  
>  **WARNINGS:** Mentions of torture.

Getting to regularly see Tony Stark naked was easily one of the best things in Bucky’s life.

Don’t get him wrong: he loved everything about Tony, from his looks to his personality, but there was just  _ something  _ about getting to touch and explore Tony’s bare body that never failed to make Bucky feel blessed.

The James Barnes from before the war would have been smug, and a bit proud of himself for scoring someone as good looking as Tony, but the Bucky of today just felt a bit surprised, a bit pleased, and really,  _ really  _ inadequate.

It wasn’t like Tony was unmarred: the reactor was surrounded by scars, as was the rest of Tony’s body – a constellation of stories, from tiny reminders of silly mistakes to traumatic memories of his past. But Tony wore all of them well, like they’d been part of him since the beginning, reflections of who he was inside.

Bucky knew, logically, that his own scars were no different, and that they didn’t make him unworthy of being loved. His heart refused to believe that, though.

He’d let it slip one time, after a round of mindblowing sex that had almost been ruined by Bucky refusing to take his shirt off. “I really hate the scars around my arm,” he’d said, aiming for casual and ending up somewhere between nervous and self-deprecating. 

Tony had been taken aback, understandably. Unfortunately for Bucky, Tony Stark was a mechanic –  _ the  _ mechanic, really – and when you showed him a problem, his first instinct would always be to try and fix it.

And that’s how Bucky ended up tied to their bed, completely naked, and with his really hot boyfriend sitting in his lap.

Tony shifted a bit, rubbing his ass on Bucky’s crotch and making him gasp.

“You feeling good, baby?”

Bucky nodded, lifting his hips to get some more of that glorious friction, but just Tony shook his head and moved away, laughing as Bucky humped nothing but air.

“None of that,” Tony reprimanded him, bending down to lightly peck Bucky on the lips. “Today we’re doing things  _ my  _ way.”

Tony leaned back, putting his mouth to work on Bucky’s body, licking and biting at the skin on his way down until his lips found a scar.

He stopped there, worrying at the spot for a second with his teeth before asking, “What’s the story behind this one, baby?”

With great effort, Bucky raised his head from the pillow, trying to see where Tony had stopped. “Ah,” he said, spotting the tiny, jagged line just below his navel, “that’s from an explosion. Shrapnel hit me.”

Tony hummed, kissing the spot once before moving away, mapping Bucky’s body with his mouth. He stopped again on Bucky’s lower ribs, nipping at a patch of rough skin there. “And this one?”

Bucky huffed a breathy laugh. “Got knocked straight on my ass when Steve picked a fight with some bullies. Scraped half my damn side on the rubble.”

Tony snorted, kissing the scar one more time before moving on.

They kept playing this game for what felt like hours. Tony would focus on every scar his hands and mouth could find, and Bucky would explain the story behind it while Tony left a trail of hickeys across his body.

By the time Tony had reached the thing that had prompted this whole experiment, Bucky was a panting, raw, oversensitized mess.

Tony’s lips trailed across the seam where Bucky’s flesh met his metal arm, and Bucky felt himself tense up despite the warm haze in his brain. His bound arms jerked with the instinct to cover himself up.

“And here?” Tony asked, his voice soft but steady.

Bucky gulped. “You know the story behind that one.”

Tony hummed, sucking a bruise just under Bucky’s collarbone, and said, “Humor me.”

Bucky opened his mouth, a snappish response already forming on the tip of his tongue, but when he finally did speak all he could manage was, “They’re ugly.”

Tony paused, and Bucky was too strung up and unbalanced to stop himself from trying to fill the silence, adding, “My other scars don’t bother me much. They’re all there because of something I did, some experience I had. But these are just…” he swallowed loudly. “These are just proof of how broken I am.”

“Hey, now,” Tony started, but Bucky cut him off.

“You- your scars mean something. Even the reactor, it… it’s part of your journey, part of what made you a superhero. But me? My arm’s just proof of my failures, of me not being good enough t-”

“Stop that.”

Bucky snapped his mouth shut so fast that he almost bit his tongue off. 

Tony leaned back to look him in the eyes, a stern but sad smile on his face. “None of what you just said is even remotely true,” he said, and firmly placed a hand on Bucky’s mouth when he started to protest. “You should shut up now. Listen to me, ok?”

He waited for Bucky to nod before removing his hand.

“Baby, all of these scars are proof of how strong you are, of how many things you’ve survived. You were better than all of them: all your enemies,” Tony listed, trailing his fingers across an old bullet wound. “All your handlers,” as his nails scratched over whip marks. “And even death itself,” he whispered, gently touching the ugly, angry-looking scars around Bucky’s shoulder.

Bucky took in a shaky breath, blinking to clear his vision, and Tony leaned down to kiss his forehead, then his eyelids, and finally his lips.

“Nothing about you is ugly,” he said. “All of them are memories of the journey that brought you to me. How could I not love them? They’re part of you.”

“Fuck,” Bucky said, choked up. “That’s the sappiest shit you’ve ever said to me.”

Tony grinned. “Good. Do you believe me now, James?”

“Put that mouth to work again, and I just might.”

And, with a laugh, Tony complied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a gift for my lovely friend [Atto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaS), who's the bestest person in the whole world, and I'm super lucky to know her. I hope you liked this! :D
> 
> This chapter is un-beta'd, so all mistakes are 100% my fault lol


	7. Smart Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 7, prompts:**  
>  New Beginnings / “Move in with me.” / ~~Recovering Together~~
> 
>  **SUMMARY:** Bucky asks Tony to move in together. Tony refuses, and the ensuing argument isn't enough to make him change his mind... or is it?  
>  **RATING:** T  
>  **WARNINGS:** mentions of unhealthy relationships.

“Move in with me.”

Bucky’s words hang in the air for a second, drifting across the haziness of Tony’s brain. He blinks rapidly, trying to clear his head from his post-orgasmic bliss. “What?”

Bucky snuggles up behind him, nosing at his hair. “I’m tired of you having to leave after we have sex. I want to wake up next to you in the morning – _always,_ not just once a month when you have a free day at work.”

Tony scrubs at his eyes, feeling far too sleepy for this conversation. “You live in Philadelphia, Bucky; SI’s headquarters are in Manhattan. Your apartment is almost two hours away, while my penthouse is _in the same building_. We talked about the logistics of me moving here before, and we both agreed it wouldn’t work out. Why are you bringing this up again?”

“Because we’ve been dating for a year, Tony. A whole ass year, and we still only see each other when we can find more than three hours of free time. I want to spend more time with you.”

“We can try to make more time for each other, then,” Tony says, a bit bewildered. He hadn’t expected this conversation, and it was making him feel unbalanced. “Or… you can move in with _me_.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Bucky huffs. “This apartment is two blocks away from Stevie’s gym, and I need to be there every day for work.”

“So do I!”

“Yeah, but you’ve got a chauffeur, and fast cars, and no boss that can fire you for coming in late! What am I supposed to do, take the train every morning to work?”

Tony turns around to glare at Bucky, starting to get angry. “Are you even listening to yourself right now? You’re treating me like shit for no reason. What’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on! I just don’t understand why you’re so opposed to the idea of living with me!”

Tony gapes at him. “Barnes, you know damn well that moving in with you has been a dream of mine since day one. It’s not my fault that we both have jobs in different states! We’ve had this discussion before and we agreed we’d wait to see if something would change.”

“I _have_ been waiting, but it’s just…” Bucky hesitates, looking away as all the fight leaves his body. “I’m tired of dating you like this, hanging out for a few hours before going home. I want to build my life with you.”

“So do I, Bucky,” Tony says, worried. “What prompted this, baby? I know you, and you would never bring this up unless you were upset about something.”

Bucky bites his lip, looking almost ashamed until he says, “I ran into Rumlow the other day.”

“Oh,” Tony whispers. All of his anger evaporates as he shuffles closer to Bucky to hug him tightly.

“It’s just… seeing him made me remember the last few months of our relationship, when he was always out of the house, acting so fucking distant. And my brain just went, _hey, I guess some things never change_.”

Tony looks hurt, so Bucky hurries to explain. “Not like that! I’m happier with you than I ever was with him, and you’re a great boyfriend, but it made me realize… living in different places is fucking me up.”

Tony sighs. “I get that, Bucky, I really do, but I can’t just move away from SI. It’s not just the commute; sometimes there’s an emergency board meeting, or someone needs my help in R&D. The security system of Stark Tower is so much better than this apartment’s, paparazzi can’t find me there, and my lab is in Manhattan. I can’t just-”

“I know,” Bucky interrupts him, resigned. “You told me this stuff last time we argued, and I agree with you. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Tony says, kissing him softly. “You’re allowed to be upset about this. Just, next time, try not to paint me as the bad guy?”

Bucky nods quickly, hating the uncertainty in Tony’s voice. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s still habit, from when Rumlow-- no. Doesn’t matter. It won’t happen again.”

Tony smiles. “I know, baby. I forgive you.”

That night, Tony can't fall asleep, but a new idea starts to take shape in his mind. In the morning, he decides, he’ll have to make some calls.

***

Three months later, Tony shows up on Bucky’s doorstep with a wide smile on his face.

Bucky looks at him suspiciously, still standing in his doorway. “Hey,” he greets, squinting when Tony returns the greeting a bit over-enthusiastically. “Everything okay?”

“Just peachy. Have you seen the news?”

Bucky’s suspicion rises at that. “I haven’t.”

“Go turn it on, then!”

Bucky lets Tony into his apartment and turns on the TV, still squinting suspiciously at his boyfriend. “Why do I need to…”

His words trail off and die in his throat when he sees the headlines scrolling along the bottom of the screen.

_STARK INDUSTRIES SET TO OPEN NEW BRANCH IN PHILADELPHIA. SI’s CEO, TONY STARK, CONFIRMS IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW THAT…_

Bucky swirls around to stare at Tony, and manages to stop gaping long enough to ask, “Are you serious?” before getting swept into a hug.

“I am,” Tony replies, giddy. “Pepper agreed it was a good idea, and it means I can move out here without hurting the company.”

“Tony, this is…” Bucky tries to swallow down the emotions threatening to choke him, but Tony just smiles at him.

“I know. I love you too. Now,” he continues, grabbing Bucky’s hand, “we need to celebrate. The new branch opens in two months, and that’s going to mark a new beginning in our relationship.” He smiles and looks up at Bucky. “We’re going to move in together!”

Bucky laughs, tugging Tony into another hug. “Yeah, we are,” he says.

And just like that, a new chapter of their lives was finally going to unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for WinterIron week, folks! It was a ton of fun and I'm proud of myself for completing the challenge, but writing 7 fics in 7 days is really fucking hard, so let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed this collection of ficlets :)
> 
> Many thanks to [@scarynoodles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarynoodles) for the beta and also thank you to all my friends who had to listen to my existential crisis re: american geography. Yeah... don't ask.


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